Swiss Envoy in Tehran Summoned over US Ban on Iranian Travelers
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Iran’s Foreign Ministry on Sunday summoned the ambassador of Switzerland, which represents the US interests in the Islamic Republic, to protest the American president’s recent order barring all Iranians from entering the US for 90 days.
Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi said the Swiss ambassador has been given an official note by Director General of Foreign Ministry for American Affairs Mohammad Keshavarz-Zadeh in protest at the controversial order Donald Trump signed on Friday.
The Swiss diplomat has been told that the US ban on Iranian travelers under “baseless and discriminatory pretexts” is “unacceptable and runs counter to human rights conventions” and to a treaty of amity, economic relations, and consular rights that Iran and the US signed on August 15,1955, Qassemi noted.
The Iranian spokesman also said the Swiss ambassador has been reminded that Iranians themselves have been victims of terrorist groups that enjoy the backing of the US, and that no Iranian national has been involved in any terrorist attack conducted by extremist groups.
Iranian residents in all countries are among the most law-abiding individuals, he stressed.
Qassemi went on to say that the Swiss ambassador said he would immediately let the US Department of State know about Iran’s protest.
The new executive order by Trump bars all persons from seven countries from entering the US for 90 days and suspends the US Refugee Admissions Program for 120 days. The countries impacted are Iran, Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Libya, Yemen and Somalia.
A number of Iranian visa-holders have been deported from the US airports since Friday.
